In Vino Veritas
by Half-elf
Summary: Lucy was drunk. Not dancing on the tables, singing at the top of her lungs, or passed out drunk. No. She was just drunk enough to become painfully, brutally, and completely honest with everyone around her… whether they wanted her to or not. Lucy/Natsu, Levy/Gajeel, Gray/Juvia
1. Chapter 1

AN: My husband's brother got me into reading Fairy Tail so this story is, in a round-about way, is his fault.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail and am not making a profit from this story.

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In Vino Veritas

By Half-elf

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Lucy was drunk. Not dancing on the tables, singing at the top of her lungs, or passed out drunk. No. She was just drunk enough to become painfully, brutally, and completely honest with everyone around her… whether they wanted her to or not.

"Erza… why are you always so mean? You're glare is like one of Fairy Tail's secret weapons. You could totally glare the enemy into submission." Lucy draped an arm around her teammate who, to her infinite luck, had already passed out. She leaned in and continued in a loud whisper. "You scare people." She giggled and took another sip of ale as Natsu and Gray laughed hysterically.

"Lucy that was awesome. Do Gray next!" Natsu slapped Gray on the back as he encouraged his friend to continue.

Lucy's expression grew serious as she faced the ice mage. "You." She pointed at him, her finger coming close to poking him in the eye.

"Watch it!" Gray grabbed her wrist and leaned back to avoid her flailing arm.

"Don't interrupt," Lucy scolded. "You… you…" She smiled. "You have pretty eyes."

Natsu's mouth dropped open. "Luce!"

"Wait," she mumbled. "That's not what I was gonna say. You… are naked." She laughed as Gray looked around for his clothes. "C'mere." She beckoned him over as soon as he got his pants back on. With both hands on his shoulders she looked him dead in the eye. "You, sir, are obliv… obliv… oblivious." She patted him on the head.

He looked at her strangely. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Look, look, look." She got behind him and, using a firm grip on his hair to direct him, turned his head towards Juvia. "Look! She liiiiikes you!~"

Juvia blushed bright red as Gray looked at her. "Umm… Gray-sama… Juvia… umm"

Color touched his cheeks as he thought back to his interactions with the water mage. Slowly, wheels turned and things clicked into place. "The hell?!" His mouth dropped open as he stared at the overheating girl. "You do?!"

Lucy pulled the water mage over and pushed her onto Gray's lap. Gray looked surprised but not really unwilling. Juvia, though red, looked entirely comfortable with the situation. Natsu just laughed at his friends.

"Lu-chan?" Levy approached her beaming friend cautiously.

"Levy-chan! I'm so happy to see you!" Lucy glomped onto her, squeezing the blue haired girl tightly.

Levy glared at Natsu. "How much did you guys let her drink?"

He snorted. "When do you 'let' Lucy do anything?"

She blinked. "True. But you could've at least _tried_ to stop her." He just smirked.

"Levy-chan. I have a secret to tell you."

Levy's ears perked up. "A secret huh? Spill sister."

Lucy leaned in close. "The secret is…" She giggled. "No, wait, I'm gonna be serious." She broke into more giggles as her friends laughed at her antics. She finally seemed to get her laughter under control and looked very serious when she spoke. "I approve."

Levy looked at her strangely. "Approve? What do you approve?"

Lucy looked very regal, a queen bestowing her blessing. "I approve." She winked. "Of him."

Levy blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about. You've had too much to drink my friend and Natsu should bring you home. Right, Natsu?"

Before he could answer, another voice called out. "Who's she talking about Levy?" Cana threw an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. "Come on. You can't leave us hanging like this."

Levy's blush darkened. "Mind your own business. I blame you for this too. You're a bad influence." She wagged a finger in Cana's laughing face but she looked wholly unimpressed.

"What's up Shrimp?" Levy's blush darkened and Lucy reached over to hug her friend. Gajeel raised an eyebrow at the strangely giggly girl. "What's wrong with bunny girl?"

"Psst, Gajeel." Lucy crooked a finger at him, beckoning him towards them. "Levy's gotta tell you something."

"No I don't." Levy pushed against her but Lucy's grip was too tight. "Let go damn you!"

"Levy-chan, sometimes you have to grab life by the horns and damn the consequences." Lucy posed dramatically, one arm raised for emphasis.

"Sure,' Levy said sourly. "Why don't you do it first?"

Lucy blinked at her as her alcohol soaked brain processed that. "Okay." She turned and, with surprising accuracy for her inebriated state, grabbed Natsu by his scarf and pulled his lips down to meet her own.

The normally loud guild hall was dead quiet as they watched. Lucy was clearly putting everything into that kiss while Natsu's brain seemed to have ground to a halt. He stood still, eyes wide as Lucy's arms snaked around his neck. Just as he seemed to realize what was happening and brought his arms up to wrap around her, when she passed out. He blinked in surprise. "Well shit."

He gathered her up into his arms and turned to Levy. "Levy, I'm gonna take her home… now…" His mouth dropped open as he watched as the smaller girl seemingly wrapped herself around the other dragon slayer, her mouth fused tightly to his. Blushing brightly, he pulled Lucy into his arms and carried her, bridal style, out of the hall. "Weirdest party ever."

It was a quick walk to her home and he easily vaulted through the window she kept unlocked for him. He laid her on the bed and slipped off her shoes before looking down at her. The moonlight revealed features relaxed into a peaceful sleep. Slowly, he reached out and swept a lock of hair off her forehead.

"Mmmm, Natsu." She curled onto her side, a smile playing over her lips.

He sat on the edge of the bed. "Damn, Luce." The turmoil she left him in showed in his quiet voice. She was his friend but damn if he hadn't wanted to kiss her back. Gritting his teeth, he inwardly cursed the fact that she had so much to drink. He snorted. "And I thought it was funny." Running a hand through his hair, he watched her snuggle into her pillow and a goofy smile lit his face. He sighed. "I'm an idiot." He straightened the blankets around her, tucking her in. On a whim, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Night, Luce."

"Natsu?" He froze, hoping that she hadn't awoken. He felt her hand feel around and he reached out his own. She grabbed on tight, tugging him towards her. "Stay." Luminous eyes looked up at him from the moonlit bed. She tugged harder. "Stay."

He sighed but slipped out of his boots. "Okay." He crawled in next to her, tomorrow would arrive soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hi everyone. Nothing really to say, just hope you enjoy the conclusion to "In Vino Veritas" and thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor am I making a profit from this story.

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In Vino Veritas: Part 2

By Half-elf

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Lucy woke feeling good. She was warm and comfortable. She shifted… scratch that, she was feeling awful. Her head hurt, her mouth tasted foul, and her stomach… "Oh god." Lucy launched herself out of bed, ignoring the grunt of pain that came from her pillow (wait, what?) as her elbow connected with it. She tore into the bathroom and before she lost what seemed like everything she had eaten in the past week, warm fingers pulled back her hair.

Some minutes later, feeling weak and shaky, she leaned back against the cool porcelain of the tub and looked up at her partner. He was watching her in that serious way he had whenever they faced something especially dangerous. "What," her voiced cracked on the word and, without asking, he handed her a glass of water. After quickly downing the glass she felt more human. "Thanks. What happened last night?" His eyes narrowed and she blinked in confusion. "Natsu?"

For a beat, his eyes bore into hers then he smiled widely. "You got drunk."

"I would never!" Lucy groaned as her own voice made her head throb. "Oh, that was a mistake." A cool cloth was placed at the back of her neck and she looked up at him in surprise. "Thank you," she whispered softly. She finished the rest of the water, rinsing the remnants of the foul taste from her mouth. When she was done she turned to him.

He gave her a small smile. "Want me to help you back to bed?"

"Yeah." Something niggled at the back of her mind as he gently helped her up. 'This feels so familiar.' He picked her up when she swayed on her feet. She rested her head against his shoulder as he carried her into the bedroom. 'So familiar.' As gently as possible, he laid her down and tucked her back in. As he pulled away, she grabbed his hand. She couldn't tell who was more shocked, him or her. But it felt right. "Stay."

He paused and, for a moment, she was afraid that he would leave but he nodded and slid in next to her. Slowly, wary of his reaction, she slid closer and rested her head on his shoulder. She wanted that warmth back she felt this morning, the comfort she felt in his arms. Besides, she could always claim that she wasn't feeling well if he asked why later.

Not like he'd ever think she liked him.

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Natsu felt her fall back asleep. Slowly, he slid his arm around her, drawing her tighter against him. She sighed softly and nuzzled his chest. He closed his eyes. 'What the hell am I gonna do?' Her arm rested across his stomach and he clasped it in his free hand. He had never thought about her in _that_ way before. She was always just "Luce." Now… now… well, she was still just "Luce," it just meant more. Well, not really. He would still do anything for her, no matter what it cost him. She was his teammate, his partner, his best friend. The only difference now was that he wanted to kiss her senseless.

It also meant that lying here with her pressed against him was torturous.

He attempted to ignore the way she made him feel while he tried to think of what to do. It was a losing battle though and, in order to preserve his sanity, he decided to join her in slumber.

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The second time Lucy woke, she made sure to fully take stock of how she felt before she made any sudden movements. Her head hurt slightly but it wasn't anything that she couldn't deal with. She shifted and her stomach stayed happy. She let out a sigh of relief. The only problem now was that she couldn't move. Natsu had his arm wrapped tightly around her.

She smiled slightly and rested her head back down on his chest. 'Might as well enjoy it while I can.' She lied there, listening to his heartbeat while trying to get her thoughts about last night in order.

She remembered the start of the celebration, though she couldn't remember exactly why they were celebrating… not like it really ever mattered in their guild though. She remembered the first glass of ale, she remembered the second, the third was a little fuzzy and… 'Oh god…' she's pretty sure she remembered a fourth. After that things got _real_ hazy.

She looked down. As far as she could tell she was still wearing all her clothes. She sighed in relief then realized that she probably needn't have worried about that. Her teammates wouldn't have let her do anything like that. Though she still had a feeling she had made an ass out of herself somehow.

Suddenly he shifted under her and she froze. 'Time to face the music.' She propped herself up as his eyes blinked open. "Morning."

He grinned widely. "Hey, Luce." He looked her over. "You okay?"

She smiled. "A bit of a headache but, other than that, I seem to be okay." The smile slipped off her face and she reached out to lay her hand on his chest. "Natsu, please, tell me what happened last night." She blinked in surprise when a slight blush touched his cheeks.

Uncomfortable with her scrutiny, Natsu sat up to sit cross legged. "Well, you told Erza she was scary."

Lucy looked at him wide eyed. "And she didn't do anything?"

He laughed. "You're just lucky she'd already passed out." He grinned wickedly. "You shoved Juvia into Gray's lap."

"Shut up." She gasped in surprise then giggled. "I can't believe I did that… What did they do?"

"They both seemed happy with it, actually."

She smiled. "I knew it. What else?"

"This is the really weird part. After that, Levy comes over and starts yelling at us for letting you drink." He smiled at her giggle. "Then you said you had to tell her a secret."

Lucy froze. "W-what secret?"

Natsu watched her carefully. "You said that you approved of 'him.'" She let out a relieved breath. "Then Levy tried shoving us out the door but Cana came butting in and Levy started yelling at her, then Gajeel came over and you said that Levy had to tell him something and she kept yelling that she didn't."

By this time, Lucy was laughing so hard she was clutching her stomach. "Oh I so wish I could remember the look on her face."

"Well, from the way she was plastered to him when we left I'm guessing you'll be seeing it whenever we get to the guild."

She looked at him open mouthed. "Are you kidding me?! She really did it?!" For a second Lucy just smiled then she let out a high pitched 'squeeeeeeeeeeee' that nearly shattered Natsu's eardrums. "Oh my god, I've been trying forever to get her to say something. How did I do it?"

She turned bright eyes to Natsu who had to struggle to catch his breath. His eyes flicked down to her lips which were parted in a slight smile. He had to tell her, she'd find out as soon as they walked in the door at the guild anyways. And… he _really_ wanted to kiss her again. "You ah… you kinda lead by example."

Her face was full of confusion until she noticed the slight pick across his cheeks then realization hit. 'Oh no. Oh no. Oh crap.' "Natsu I can ex- mmph." Before she could go any further, Natsu cupped the back of her head and drew her forward into a soft kiss.

His lips slowly moved against her own and she melted into him. She slid her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer. After a few moments, he drew released her lips and leaned his forehead against hers. "Luce…"

His voice was rough and it sent shivers down her body. "Yeah?"

"Can we make this permanent?"

She froze, white dresses, dancing, rings, and flowers flashed through her mind. 'No, he can't mean that. At least, not yet.' "Permanent?"

"Yeah. You and me." He searched her gaze and smiled when he saw the answers he was looking for. Briefly he wondered how long they had been there and he'd missed them. He gave a small shake of his head. It didn't matter. He saw now. "I love you, Lucy."

She gasped and tears gathered in her eyes. "Natsu." He voice was shaky but, as the tears fell freely down her cheeks, she smiled, brighter than ever before. "Natsu!" She leaned forward and kissed him will everything she had. She pulled back, laughing even as she cried. "I love you too."

A huge smile split his face and he pulled her tightly to him. "You're so weird, Luce."

And later when they would venture out to the guild, there would be teasing from their friends and money changing hands (mostly into Cana's greedy mits). She would laugh with Levy as he fought with Gray and Gajeel. There would be laughter and drinks (though none for Lucy, thank you very much). And Mirajane would smile happily as so many of her projects finally came together.

But for right now, it was just the two of them. And as they leaned in for another kiss, they couldn't be happier.

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AN: Sappy I know but, what can I say, I'm a sucker for happy endings. Hope you enjoyed reading! Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you thought.


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